Save the Last Dance for Me
by Bleeding Heart Sacred Soul
Summary: Remus and Lily often had separate interests, lives, and loves. But Lily always remembered to save the last dance for her dearest friend. LE/JP, RL/NT, SB/OC, LE/RL genfic.


Remus shook his head and followed his friends into the Great Hall. It was Hogwarts' 1000th anniversary, as best as anyone could calculate, and they had been celebrating all week with what Dumbledore termed a "Spirit Week". Most of the students were actually enjoying it.

Sunday, Dumbledore had announced the week and explained what would be going on; the students had embraced it with cautious enthusiasm. Monday had been Pyjama Day (Remus wondered if he'd ever be able to rid himself of the image of Slughorn in pyjamas). Tuesday had been Swap Day; students had taken over classes for a day, with Remus teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Severus Snape leading Potions, James showing off at a flying class, and Sirius enthusiastically directing a Transfiguration class, much to McGonagall's initial dismay. (By the end of the day, however, even she had to admit she was impressed.) On Wednesday, the day had gone _backwards_, with dinner (starting with dessert) for breakfast and Astronomy in the morning. Thursday had undoubtedly been more fun for the teachers than the students—a spell was put on the castle for the day that completely disabled speech, requiring the students to find other methods of communication. Friday the students had been excused from classes for a sort of field day; they had played games pretty much all day. And tonight, the school was holding a Gala Ball.

Sirius and James, being Sirius and James, were excited, planning to romance the girls off their feet. Peter, too, was cautiously enthusiastic; the rule had been made that no one was allowed to refuse the first dance or the last, so he thought he might even get a dance or two. Remus, who was painfully shy and awkward, was only going because his friends had made him. Now, as students began milling around, chatting eagerly, Remus hovered by the door, wondering why he had come.

"Hi, Remus."

Remus looked up and blushed a little. Lily stood in front of him, smiling warmly. "Oh…hello, Lily."

Lily's smile widened. "I'm glad you came. I was afraid you were going to hide in the library all night."

"Sirius made me come," Remus mumbled.

"Well, I'm glad you did." Lily tilted her head as the music started. Turning to Remus, she dropped in a slight, mocking curtsey. "May I have this dance?"

Knowing that the rules forbade him from refusing, Remus swallowed and managed a bow. "Just pretend not to notice when I step all over your feet."

"You won't do that," Lily reassured him. She put her hands on his shoulders; he hesitantly put his hands on her waist. They began swaying back and forth in time to the music, rotating slowly on the spot.

The song was one of Remus's favourites, and he found himself humming along. Lily smiled up at him. "You like this song, do you?"

Remus felt a blush rising in his cheeks. "I've always liked the Four Seasons."

"Oh, is that who it is? I didn't know that."

Remus found that the dance got a lot easier; also, the song was a short one, which helped. When it ended, Lily squeezed his hand lightly.

"Thanks, Remus, that was fun." Her emerald eyes twinkled. "Save the last dance for me."

Remus half-chuckled. "All right, I will."

Lily winked, then drifted off through the crowd. Remus watched her go, feeling a little bit better about coming.

The ball dragged on for several more hours. Remus actually started to enjoy himself, joining in with a group of students who had started singing along to the Four Seasons. Finally, around midnight, the DJ's voice rang out over the Great Hall. "Last dance, guys and gals, this ball is closing."

People began pairing off. Remus, who was hovering near the refreshment table with his friends, set down his now-empty punch glass and wondered if he should go look for Lily or if she would find him.

A thin, pretty, petite young girl materialised nearby, batting huge and obviously false eyelashes at them. "Hi, Jamie."

Sirius choked into his drink. James spared him a withering glance before turning back to the fourth year making sheep's eyes at him. "Hey, Bet."

Remus suppressed the urge to gag. Bettina Robertson was James's current girlfriend, continually hanging off his arm and giggling. She was starting to rankle on Remus's nerves; he knew Sirius hated her.

"How about that dance, lover-boy?" Bettina said teasingly. James grinned and stepped onto the floor with her.

"Not gonna start the music until everyone has a partner," the DJ said in a singsong voice.

Sirius shook his head, glaring at James and Bettina. "_Jamie. _Can you beat that? Honestly, what does he see in her?"

_"Il y a du monde dans le balcóne,"_ Remus muttered. Sirius didn't exactly speak French, but James happened to enjoy that particular idiom and had taught his friends what it meant. Remus, on the other hand, _did_ speak French and had taught them the exact translation as well as the idiomatic meaning.

A girl with hair cut into a pageboy, auburn this week, appeared next to them and nodded to Remus, then turned to Sirius. "Hey, Sirius, up for a spin?"

"Oh, hey, Tali." Sirius winked at Remus. "Sure, let's step out."

Peter shook his head. "What is this, the Sadie Hawkins dance?"

"Hiya, J.I."

Peter turned and grinned sheepishly. "Hi, D.W. No, don't say it," he interrupted, holding up a hand. _"I'll_ ask. Would you like to dance?"

D.W.—Lisa Anders to most people, she and Peter called each other by their middle initials—grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

Remus watched his friends, then finally decided to go outside. Suddenly, Lily appeared at his shoulder._ "There_ you are! I was looking for you."

"Hey, Lily." Remus smiled warmly. "Shall we, then?"

"Yeah…I'd hate to think we were holding up everyone else." Lily smiled and took his hand, then led him onto the floor.

As it turned out, there were a couple of people left; Severus Snape was hovering on the outskirts, as were a couple of the teachers. Finally, Lily's best friend Morrigan O'Ciardha walked over and dragged Severus onto the floor; his sister shyly asked Professor Babashanian, the Defence professor, to dance; and Professor Sprout evidently swallowed whatever her emotions were and asked Slughorn. The song struck up.

The floor was incredibly crowded; Lily moved a little closer to Remus to give people room to dance. Remus instinctively held her a little tighter to keep her out of the way of Hagrid, who was waltzing with Professor Sinistra.

"What is this song?" Lily asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the other couples.

Remus listened for a minute. "I think it's _Blue Moon,_ but I'm used to it being a lot faster."

"It's nice." Lily closed her eyes and leaned her head on Remus's shoulder.

Remus was momentarily surprised, but he held Lily a little tighter and kept on dancing.

_"Si j'aurai le courage, je vous aimerai,"_ he whispered softly. If I had the courage, I would love you.

He had forgotten Lily spoke French. She smiled up at him. _"Si vous aurez le courage, je vous permettrais,"_ she whispered back. If you had the courage, I would let you.

The song ended on a long, warbling note. Remus and Lily separated. She smiled up at him, then kissed his cheek lightly. "Thanks again, Remus. I'll see you in the morning."

A smile tugged at Remus's lips. "Good night, Lily."

"Black, Sirius."

Remus applauded along with his fellow classmates as Sirius, who had grown tall and somehow more serious over the last couple of years, crossed the stage, accepted his diploma, and shook first Dumbledore's hand, then McGonagall's. He even gave the Transfiguration teacher a quick hug; she surprised them all by hugging him back before sending him on his way.

Remus glanced up and down the line of black-clad students. Some scratched the backs of their necks. Some shifted their weight from side to side. James kept adjusting his mortarboard. Peter was biting his nails.

"Evans, Lily"

Lily tossed Remus and James both a warm smile, then crossed the stage to accept her diploma. It suddenly hit Remus how final this was. To calm himself down, he began mentally going over the speech he was supposed to make at the middle of the graduation. Hogwarts graduation was a bit unusual by Muggle standards; each house had a top student who gave a speech right before their house graduated, but the Valedictorial Address was smack dab in the middle of the graduation, between the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs. (The graduates always went in the same order: Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.)

"Lupin, Remus."

Remus blanched; he hadn't realised it was already his turn. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the stage and accepted his diploma from Dumbledore and shook his hand, then shook McGonagall's hand. Like Sirius, he gave her a quick hug, then joined his classmates on the other side of the stage.

Lily squeezed his hand briefly. "We did it!" she whispered.

Remus smiled feebly. "Yeah, but there's still the Valedictorial Address to get through."

"You'll do fine."

"O'Ciardha, Morrigan."

Morrie practically skipped across the stage, accepted her rolled diploma, and hugged both Dumbledore and McGonagall before joining Remus and Lily. Her mossy green eyes shone as she looked out over the audience.

"Pettigrew, Peter."

There was a loud whoop amidst the applause from the audience, probably from Peter's older brother Phillip, as Peter crossed the stage. He quickly shook both teachers' hands, took his diploma, and hurried to join the other graduates, his face red. "I'm going to kill my brother," he whispered.

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles, which were sliding down his crooked nose. "Potter, James."

Like Sirius and Remus, James hugged McGonagall before joining his classmates. The Marauders, Lily, and Morrie stood close together, all probably wondering where this night would lead them.

As Alice Thompson joined them, McGonagall took her seat between Flitwick and Sprout. Dumbledore addressed the audience. "And now, Remus Lupin will deliver the Valedictorial Address."

Remus gulped. Lily squeezed his hand again. "Good luck!" she whispered.

"You can do it," Sirius urged softly.

Remus took a deep breath, crossed to the podium, and placed the closed folder containing his prepared speech on the podium. He wouldn't need it.

"Professor Dumbledore, Hogwarts teachers, fellow graduates, honoured guests," he began. Slughorn had suggested that opening to Lily, who had in turn passed it on to both Remus and Severus Snape, who was graduating top of Slytherin house. "I stand here before you tonight wondering where in the world I found the courage to get up here and say anything at all." Scattered laughter from the audience. James flashed him a thumbs-up and he went on. "As a matter of fact, I've wondered that a lot over the years. When I got off the train at Hogsmeade Station on September first, 1970, I looked around the platform and wondered, among so many students, if anyone would notice if I just hopped back on the train and went straight home." More laughter; Remus felt strangely heartened, even though the statement had not been intended as amusing. "Over the years, I have formed many strong attachments, friendships I will keep for the rest of my life. I carry away valuable knowledge in all the subjects taught, but I carry away many lessons learned outside the classroom too. I learned how to speak up for myself, how to take up some space—and as my friends could tell you, I don't do that very often." Sirius and Morrie nodded emphatically as the audience laughed. "I learned how to treat those younger or different from myself, how to manage my time well, and how to respect others. For that, I attach far more importance than any degree I could ever receive."

Remus took a deep breath, gathering strength for the last statement. "It is still said today that Nikolai Sklodowski, the famous Polish Minister of Magic, when he accepted an honorary Beauxbatons degree, said, 'Now I have the best of both worlds—a Noapteambula education and a Beauxbatons degree.'''

Remus bowed to the headmaster and the heads of houses, seated just behind him and to his left. "I, Professor Dumbledore, have the best of every world, a Hogwarts education and a Hogwarts degree."

The audience went wild. Peter caught his eye and grinned—he had suggested that particular line. Remus stepped away from the podium and joined his friends, who slapped his back and congratulated him, as Dumbledore announced the top student in Hufflepuff.

Finally, all the students had crossed the stage and received their diplomas. Dumbledore once again took the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "I present to you the Hogwarts class of 1977."

The Quidditch pitch erupted in cheers, from students and guests alike. Morrie let out a wild whoop and tossed her mortarboard into the air; the other graduates quickly followed suit. The air was soon filled with dozens of black mortarboards, gold tassels flying in the wind.

Parents came for pictures as the graduates collected their caps. Remus, whose family hadn't come, volunteered to take a few pictures.

_Click!_ James standing with his mother, Hope trying to hold back her tears. Remus knew she was both proud of James—immensely proud—and sorry that Adonijah, who had died the previous spring, couldn't be there to see his graduation.

_Click!_ Lily and her parents posed with Morrie and her father, parents in the back row, daughters in the front.

_Click!_ Sirius with his little brother Regulus, his cousin Andromeda, her husband Ted, and their small daughter Nymphadora. Sirius hugged Regulus tightly; it was one of the few opportunities they had to show that they cared about each other.

_Click!_ An excellent snapshot of Peter with his family. His mother, Delilah, who had been widowed, watched indulgently as Phillip caught Peter in a headlock and gave him a "noogie". (Sirius and Regulus nearly fell over themselves laughing. Remus got a picture of that too.)

Remus was about to put his camera away when someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Say, Lupin…think you could get a shot of us?"

Remus turned and half-smiled. "Sure thing."

Severus half-smiled back, then stepped back to join his family. Becca, two years his junior—Regulus's age—hugged him tightly; he put an arm around her shoulder. Eileen, their mother, put one hand on each of their shoulders and smiled wanly. Remus picked out the telltale signs of abuse on her thin, pale face, but it wasn't any of his business. He raised the camera and pressed the button._ Click!_

"I'll send you a copy when I get them developed," he promised Severus.

"Thank you," Severus answered. With that, he turned to go.

"Wait a minute, would you?" Remus said on sudden inspiration. He dragged his friends over and stood them up, then turned to Becca. "Hey, Beck, could you snap this picture for me? You remember how to work this camera, right?"

"Right!" Becca beamed. Remus had loaned her the camera the previous spring for a school project.

Remus quickly arranged his friends in front of the stage, right in front of the Hogwarts banner. For a moment, he studied the people in front of him. Four boys—counting himself—and two girls. Six red stoles with gold tassels for Gryffindor. Two silver stoles for prefects, two gold stoles for Head Boy and Head Girl. Five purple stoles for Honours graduates, four white stoles for Top Ten Percent graduates. One silver cord for Top of House, one gold cord for Valedictorian.

Then he stepped forward, joined his friends, and turned towards Becca. Sirius put an arm around Remus's shoulder; Lily put her arm around Remus's on one side and James on the other. They all smiled—mainly at the way the fifth year Ravenclaw was clowning around, doing a "work with me, people" shtick. And then Becca snapped the picture. _Click!_

The Graduation Ball was about an hour later, to give everyone time to visit with their families and change out of their robes into their fancy dress clothes. Remus changed out of his graduation robes, carefully packing them away, and put on the suit he'd brought along expressly for that purpose, then reported to the Great Hall.

He was slightly late; he'd discovered another tear in his jacket and had to mend it. The ball was in full swing when he arrived. The music hadn't started, but people stood in clusters, chatting eagerly. Severus had been drawn into a discussion with some other Slytherins; Becca was talking to Regulus and a seventh year Remus recognised as Simon Peter Hall. Sirius, James, Lily, Morrie, and Peter were talking; Sirius noticed Remus and waved him over.

"Finally!" Morrie teased as Remus wedged himself into the cluster. "What kept you?"

"Well, first I had to mend a tear, and then—" Remus began. But when Lily laughed and Morrie gave him a huge grin, he realised she had only been teasing. "Then I had to unstitch myself from the curtains," he completed, grinning sheepishly. "Anyway, I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"Nope," Peter said cheerfully. "Just talk."

The DJ arrived and started a slow song. James turned to Lily and bowed. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course." Lily winked at Remus as she took James's arm. "Save the last dance for me, Fred."

Remus's eyes twinkled. "Sure thing, Jessica."

"I wish one of you would explain that," Peter grumbled as Jack Cade pulled Morrie onto the dance floor. "Why does she keep calling you Fred? And why do you keep calling her Jessica?"

"Muggle movies. You wouldn't understand." Remus fell silent, remembering the day Lily had caught him practising his tap-dancing in the empty classroom where he usually practised the piano. She had jokingly asked if he could tap-dance on the ceiling like Fred Astaire, so he'd shown her how the trick had been done in the movie. She had promptly begun calling him Fred—but only occasionally, and always in a loving, gentle, teasing tone. She hadn't used it since she began dating James. Nor had he called her Jessica, but he remembered how it had come about. He had made a reference to _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ that she hadn't understood; it happened to be playing at a nearby theatre and he'd taken her to see it, strictly as a friend. She had enjoyed it and come out still laughing, continually repeating, "I'm not bad—I'm just drawn that way." Finally, Remus had taken to calling her Jessica, which she seemed to have enjoyed.

Sirius leaned over to Remus, a comical leer on his face. "Fancy a spin around the dance floor, lover-boy?"

"Not on your best horse's rump," Remus told him. "You can be as queer as you like, Sirius, but don't drag me into it."

Sirius made a great show of looking disappointed. Of course, had his friend actually been homosexual, Remus would never have joked with him like that.

The ball wore on. Remus actually did dance with a couple of girls—Becca asked him once, as did a Hufflepuff he'd helped in Defence. Both were polite, although the Hufflepuff was a lousy dancer.

Finally, the DJ announced once again that the upcoming song was the last one. Lily, who had been chatting with James, walked over to Remus and smiled. "Ready?"

"I guess." Remus took her hand and joined her on the floor.

The song struck up, slow and soft, and the two waltzed across the floor of the Great Hall. As she had the last time they had danced, Lily drew closer to lean her head on Remus's shoulder.

Nearby, Sirius drifted past, dancing with Morrie. Something in Sirius's eyes as he looked down at her told Remus that his friend had been looking forward to this dance for a long time; like Lily, Morrie had her head leaning on Sirius's shoulder. Remus caught his friend's eye and winked. Sirius grinned sheepishly, then looked down at Morrie with an expression of such genuine love that Remus had to turn away, feeling as though he was intruding on a private moment.

Lily looked up at Remus and smiled. "This is nice," she whispered. "James can be so…_possessive _sometimes."

"He loves you," Remus told her. _And God help me, so do I._

"As I him," Lily answered. "But…I don't know. I don't think he gets that there is room for more than one in my heart. Love isn't something that gets divided—it's something which is multiplied."

"'Atta girl," Remus smiled. "I know how you feel."

"I know you do. You always have." Lily was silent for a moment, then confessed, "I think he's mad at me right now."

"Why? What grievous sin have you committed now?"

Lily chuckled a little. "Severus asked me to dance and I accepted."

Remus shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that, is there? I mean, it's not like you're eloping or anything."

Lily gave the light, musical laugh Remus loved so much. "No, but like I said, James is a little possessive. He doesn't seem to mind me dancing with you, but…"

"James and I are friends. James and Severus are not."

The candles had been dimmed, as they often were for school dances, and the ceiling overhead seemed to be a real sky instead of just an enchanted ceiling. Remus held Lily close, forgetting James, forgetting Sirius and Morrie, forgetting everything but swirling around and around. Lily gave a soft sigh and leaned against him, closing her eyes.

The song ended all too soon. All around them, people were clapping, laughing and chatting, but Remus and Lily stayed where they were for a long moment, just looking into each other's eyes. "_Je veux que vous soyez heureuse,"_ Remus finally said softly. I want you to be happy.

Lily reached up and brushed his face gently_"Si vous n'étes pas avec moi, je ne serai pas heureuse,"_ she whispered. If you aren't with me, I won't be happy.

_"Lily, j'ai déjà vu l'anneau,"_ Remus told her. Lily, I already saw the ring.

_"Oui, je sais, mais__—"_ Lily broke off and flung her arms around his neck. "Remus, I don't have the words to explain it in French, I was young when we left. But…even if I am married, I couldn't bear it if I lost you, as a friend or as anything else."

"I'm not going anywhere," Remus assured her, tangling his fingers in her dark red hair. "After all, James and I are friends too."

People were leaving. Lily gave Remus a quick kiss. "Thank you," she whispered. "I have to go now."

Remus kissed her back lightly. "_Au revoir,_ Lily."

"_À bientôt,_ Remus."

"May I present…Mr. and Mrs. James Adonijah Potter."

Remus applauded along with everyone else as the newlyweds came into the reception hall. Hope Potter, looking frail and older than ever, kissed her son and her daughter-in-law as they came up to her. They made the rounds, greeting everyone. When they got to Sirius, Remus, and Morrie, who were clustered together, Lily hugged all three of them—even Sirius, with whom she rarely got along.

"Congrats," Sirius said, hugging James too.

"Thanks, mate."

Lily whispered to Remus, "Save the last dance for me."

"Is the DJ going to call it?"

"No, but the next-to-last dance will be that song, so catch me after that."

"I'm surprised James isn't jealous," Morrie observed as the couple moved off. "Most brides share the last dance with the groom."

Remus shrugged uncomfortably. "Lily and I always have the last dance. And James trusts me. I'm not going to run off with her."

"Oh." Morrie poked Sirius. "Save the last dance for me, too, Siri."

"I always do." Sirius grinned at his girlfriend.

Remus and Sirius couldn't help laughing at the first dance James and Lily had chosen—it was _Just My Imagination_ by the Temptations, a song the two Marauders had often sung to James in their Hogwarts days when he started going on about how Lily was secretly crazy about him.

The father-daughter dance was also a Temptations song, _My Girl_—Lily was crazy about the Temptations. James danced with his mother, a song called _Wizard's Waltz_ that made Hope cry a little because it was the song she and Adonijah had had their first dance to at the wedding. The traditional party dances like the Hokey Pokey were dragged out, and Remus even let himself be dragged along to do a couple of them.

In the middle of a set, after one of the songs, the music cut off and Sirius took the stage, holding a flute of champagne. "I'd like to propose a toast," he said loudly, and all conversation died.

Sirius turned to Lily and James and held the champagne aloft in their direction. "Most men have many faults, but James, you have but two—everything you say, and everything you do." Everyone laughed, even James. "But no one can fault you your wife, and no one can begrudge you your happiness. I hope life treats you kind, and I hope you have all you've ever dreamed of. I wish you joy and happiness…but above all of this, I wish you love."

The assembled applauded, and James hugged his best friend again.

A few other people made toasts, and then the music continued. Much later in the evening, Remus found himself standing next to Hope Potter. Inspired, he asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Hope looked up at him, startled. She had been an attractive woman when she was younger; she was not entirely unattractive now. She had long silver hair that spilled down her back, and her hazel eyes in her thin, wrinkled face still shone with life, even though Remus knew in his heart of hearts she was coming to the end of her allotted time on earth.

Suddenly she smiled. "Remus. I'd love to, dear…hold on." She slipped a bracelet and ring off of her left hand, and Remus realised that they were silver. She took his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. He put his hand on her waist, and they began to dance.

Adonijah Potter, like his sister and half-brother, was tall; he himself had been six foot five, Solomon was six-nine, and even Damaris stood at six feet, not necessarily an advantage for a woman. Hope's family, however, were all on the short side, and Hope, the oldest of her three sisters, was in the middle in terms of height. In her youth she had never been taller than four-foot-ten; arthritis and age had shrunken her until she was only four-foot-six. James was comfortably in the middle at five-seven, and even then he was shorter than both Sirius and Remus—Remus stood at five-nine, while Sirius was even taller, reaching six-foot-four. If it hadn't been for her silver hair, anyone would have thought that Remus was dancing with a small child.

When the song was over, Remus bowed to Hope and allowed her to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for the dance, Hope."

"Thank you for asking me, Remus. You have no idea how much I was missing my Addie…but he's with Busy, so I expect he's happier where he is." She smiled proudly at her son, who was laughing at some joke with Lily and Sirius as his favourite aunt, Hope's sister Charity, snapped their picture. "He looks just like Addie did the day we got married…Lily looks almost like I did, but her hair is redder than mine was. I remember Aberforth came…I had hoped Albus would come, but he couldn't or wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Oh, they hate each other, dear. There weren't many people who would have anything to do with the Dumbledore family by the time I was born, but you know Albus is only about twenty years older than I am, and Aberforth is even younger. He always looked after Addie…I think he was missing Ariana. Poor fellow, it haunts him to this day…"

Remus didn't understand what Hope was talking about, but he didn't like to interrupt. Hope had lapsed into the past, remembering her childhood and what she knew of someone else's. The music had changed and the song playing, Remus realised suddenly, was "Save the Last Dance for Me".

The song ended; everyone who was still more or less conscious applauded. Remus excused himself to Hope and found the married couple, who were still hanging with Sirius, Morrie, and Charity.

"May I have this dance?" Remus asked, bowing to Lily.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

"Aunt Chatty?" James inquired.

Charity smiled. "Sure, kiddo."

Sirius held out his hand to Morrie; she beamed and took it. The six were the only ones who were still dancing, and as Remus took Lily's hand in his and put his hand on her waist, he could almost pretend that it was back at Hogwarts, and they were just being teenagers.

The music of the last song struck up. Remus smiled as he recognised the song and began singing along quietly. Next to him, Sirius and James harmonised with him. "_Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling…"_

"That was wonderful," Lily whispered as the song ended.

"Thank you," Remus whispered back.

Lily kissed his cheek lightly. "_Si je n'aurais pas la femme de James, je vous espouserais,_" she whispered. If I wasn't James's wife, I would marry you.

_"__Si vous étiez ma femme, je serais chanceux,_" Remus whispered back. If you were my wife, I would be lucky.

"Hey, no French over there," James teased. "You can't sweet-talk my wife off of her feet."

Remus laughed openly at his friend. "James, you don't speak any French beyond obscure idioms. For all you know, I was telling her that her oil filter has a leak and her transmission is sagging."

"You can really do that?"

"If she didn't speak French, I could have."

Sirius laughed. "Hey, Morrie, want to go dancing on Friday?"

Morrie bit her lip. "I wish I could, Sirius, but I really can't. I got a new job…I have to go overseas. I leave tomorrow and I'll be gone about six months. Can we go dancing when I get back?"

"I guess so, but…well…" Sirius fished something out of his pocket. "I was going to wait on this, but...oh, heck." He took a deep breath, then got down on one knee and opened the box. "Morrigan O'Ciardha, will you marry me?"

Morrie bit her lip. "Sirius, I'd love to, but I really do have to leave tomorrow morning. Much as I'd like to wish otherwise, proposing won't change me orders."

"I'll wait," Sirius said quickly. Remus's eyebrows shot up. "However long it takes...I can be patient, Morrie, I really can. Please?"

"You goose," Morrie said fondly, leaning over and kissing him on the nose. "I'll tell you what. I shouldn't be more than six months, maybe a year. When I come back, I will marry you, even if I have to find a chaplain and drag him to the nuthouse."

"I'll hold you to that, you know," Sirius threatened.

"Willingly."

Sirius slid the ring onto Morrie's finger, then stood and kissed her. It was the happiest ending they could have hoped for.

Harry hadn't been able to sleep after all. Most people had gone to sleep, but he quietly went down to the Great Hall to where the bodies were laid out.

Remus still lay next to Nymphadora. Harry had seen his spirit and knew he was at peace, but right how he needed to be with the man who had meant so much to him, so he pulled up a chair and sat quietly.

He must have nodded off, because when he woke up, Remus was moving a little, groaning, blinking up at him. "Where…?" he said feebly.

"Remus?" Harry couldn't believe it. He cradled the man's head, feeling tears sting his eyes. "Shh. It's okay. You're going to be okay."

"Please..." Remus said hoarsely. "Don't cry. Please. I'll be okay. She's saving me a dance."

Harry seemed puzzled. "Who is, Remus?"

Remus didn't seem to hear him. "Don't ever doubt she loved you," he whispered. "She did. I know you were a little jealous, but...she loved you, she did. There was room in her heart for both of us. Love isn't divided, it's multiplied..."

"I know," Harry choked. "It's okay...I..."

Remus squeezed his hand and smiled a little. "She said once...at the Grad Ball, remember? She said she knew you were upset, she knew you loved her, and she loved you, but she didn't think you really knew that."

Harry frowned a little. "Grad Ball? Wh…"

A hand fell on his shoulder; he looked up to see McGonagall's careworn face. "He thinks you are your father," she said, her voice barely audible. "He's trying to talk to you about Lily. I know he was dead earlier, but he seems desperate to communicate with you."

Harry bit his lip. "Should I set him straight?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

McGonagall shook her head. "Let him be. What harm could it do?" She knelt on the ground next to Harry. "Lupin...Remus," she said softly. "Remus, are you okay?"

Remus forced himself to focus on McGonagall's face. "Minerva? Have you seen Lily?"

Giving Harry a look that said to play along, McGonagall told him, "She just finished a spin around the floor with Frank. You know how popular she is."

"It doesn't...bother you?" Remus managed, looking at Harry.

Harry shook his head, then managed to croak, "She's allowed. Like you said...she's got room for more than one."

Remus smiled feebly. "She's still...saving the last dance...right?"

"Sure, Remus, but there's time enough for that later," McGonagall told him. "Come on...let me have a look at what's wrong."

"I..." Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though he was gathering strength. "Please, Minerva...I've been looking forward to this dance for years. Tell the DJ...to wrap it up already."

Tears began trickling down Harry's pale face. "No," he whispered. "Please. I...I still need you."

Remus blinked several times, seeming to force himself to focus. "Harry?"

"I'm right here," Harry whispered.

Remus squeezed his hand tightly. "It's going to be okay," he said softly. "Sometimes people leave you...halfway through the woods..."

"_Do not let it grieve you...no one leaves for good,_" a light, musical voice sang sweetly.

Harry and McGonagall both turned. Harry couldn't see too clearly through his tears, but he dimly perceived a woman and a fair bit of light. McGonagall, however, looked shocked.

Remus, however, smiled. "Hey..."

"Hey, Remus." The woman moved closer, smiling; looking up, Harry could see that she was young and pretty, with dark red hair and sparkling eyes. With a jolt, he realised the woman's eyes were emerald green, just like his.

Lily Potter smiled at McGonagall. "Hello, Professor. Holding up okay?"

McGonagall nodded dumbly. Lily turned her warm smile on her son next. "It's okay, Harry," she said gently. "We'll see you again."

Like McGonagall, Harry could only nod. Lily turned to Remus and held out a hand. "How about that dance, Fred?"

Remus smiled. "Sounds great…Jessica."

Lily clasped his hand. No one could collaborate what McGonagall and Harry saw next, but neither could they deny it. Remus seemed to split into two. Part of him remained on the table, lying between Harry and Tonks, old and frail and fragile…but part of him stood up in a shaft of light, smiling and looking like nothing had happened. He looked younger, happier, than Harry had ever known him.

He pulled Lily into his arms, and the two danced. The Remus in Harry's arms got weaker and weaker, his breath getting fainter, but the Remus dancing with Lily seemed to be getting brighter and stronger. And in the background, so faintly Harry could not be sure he was imagining it, a soft song played. Listening hard, he could almost pick out the words, and though he could never be one hundred percent certain he could have sworn it was _Save the Last Dance for Me._

The song finally ended; Lily planted a light kiss on Remus's cheek. Remus turned to Harry, but it was not the spectre but the body that spoke. "Harry..."

Harry turned, blinking back tears, to face his old teacher. "I'm here," he said again.

Remus raised a trembling hand to touch his cheek. "I love you," he said clearly.

"I love you too," Harry managed.

Remus smiled...and went limp in Harry's arms. Behind them, the spectres vanished.

McGonagall placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's go, Harry," she said gently. It was the first time she'd ever used Harry's first name. "He's been waiting for that dance for years. Now it's your turn to wait for a while."

Harry nodded. "I understand…but it's hard."

"It always is," McGonagall said quietly, looking at the body, then glancing up at the star-studded ceiling of the Great Hall. "But if he could do it, so could you. I trust you, Harry."

Harry followed her glance up. One of the stars seemed to glow even brighter. And Harry knew that the last dance was Remus's, and that he and Lily and James and Sirius were finally together, and finally home.


End file.
